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Alfes2010 has been hard at work photographing this month's new released TakaraTomy Transformers toys, and has posted a great deal to Twitter. This batch focuses on the Unite Warriors Bruticus set, particularly giving good comparison images between the Unite Warriors and Hasbro versions of the figures, both individually and combined. These photos are spread over numerous tweets, so we've collected them all together for easy viewing. Keep reading to take a look and see the differences!
It's been questioned and suspected since the reveal of the San Diego Comic Con exclusive Titan Force set. But with Hasbro's reps at Botcon being tight-lipped about it, there was just enough doubt to cause some worry. But it looks like we can rest easy as we have evidence now for the general retail release of Titans Return Brainstorm. While the SDCC version will have unique coloring, it looks like there will be a much easier - and less expensive - option forthcoming for this retool! Keep reading for more info and photo evidence!
Having suffered repeated, and unexplained delays, the final issue of Sins of The Wreckers
is finally ready to hit the shops next week. And thanks to Newsarama we finally get to see the full length preview for the issue. Will Prowl finally get what is so deservedly coming to him? Almost certainly not! Oh well, can't win them all, I suppose. You can click through to read the preview right now, and come back early next week for the review, first on TFormers!
The last figure from the first wave of Titans Return Legends Class figures has gone up in the latest video on the Starblight.de Youtube channel. Stripes is the figure from this batch that's gotten the least love, and while the video is not completely positive toward it in every mode, this does give the impression that Stripes may be at least a little better than photos would lead you to believe in its bestial robot mode. The video is embedded below, so click through to start watching!


text: World peace is no closer now than it was when the first Ben & Jerry's store in Israel opened with great fanfare on Tel Aviv's Dizengoff Street in 1988, but the flavor Imagine Whirled Peace is coming back to an ice-cream store near you. The popular American ice-cream chain had 16 branches in Israel 10 years ago, including three in Jerusalem and one that company cofounder Jerry Greenfield arrived to open personally in Netanya. Now it is making a comeback on the rocky road to the Israeli market. The Palestinian wave of violence that broke out in 2000 scared away the tourists who were the ice-cream stores' primary clientele and frightened the parents of the young people who scooped the ice cream. The branches gradually closed - the last one just two years ago - leaving only the outlet store at the company's factory in Yavne. "We closed the stores when the tourists stopped coming at the height of the intifada," said Avi Zinger, CEO of American Quality Products Ltd., the brand's marketer in Israel. "Instead, we focused on production for supermarkets. But now the retail market has come back and so have the tourists, so we have been thinking for a while that the time has arrived for a comeback." The first new branch opened in Tel Aviv's Cinema City earlier this year. Another two will open soon in the new Cinema City in Rishon Lezion and in Modi'in's Ishpro Center. Zinger is searching for the right location in Jerusalem. While Israeli supermarkets sell some 15 flavors of Ben & Jerry's in pints, the ice-cream stores will have 22 flavors that constantly change. Zinger said whenever a flavor is removed he gets angry calls and e-mails. There is no factory tour in Yavne like there is in Vermont, but Zinger said there likely would be when the factory eventually moves to another Israeli location to facilitate the expansion. The Israeli branch of Ben & Jerry's participates in the social activism of the parent company. For instance, it recently ran an entrepreneurial project for young people in Sderot, and Greenfield came to Israel last year to advance programs for special-needs children. But unlike Ben Cohen and Greenfield, Zinger said he is cautious not to do anything too political that could harm sales. He also is very sensitive to charges the company is anti-Israel, which he dismissed as completely false. Zinger learned his lesson in 1998 when, as a marketing gimmick to sell sorbet, he issued a press release saying he would make it with Eden Mineral Water. After the story ran in Haaretz, it led to international protests against Ben & Jerry's using "occupied" Syrian water from the Golan Heights. When the press contacted the company's Vermont headquarters, Ben & Jerry's responded that it would consider telling its Israeli licensee to stop using the water. That led to headlines saying Ben & Jerry's was "boycotting Israeli settlements," a charge Zinger vehemently denied. "We have no limitations on where we buy our ingredients," he said. "But there are people who still don't buy Ben and Jerry's because of those incorrect reports," Zinger said. "What Ben and Jerry can allow themselves, I can't. I have to be super-careful. It's a different world over here."

domain: news


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A week ago, PepsiCo launched the 8th edition of the Crash The Super Bowl contest, probably the world’s most famous, open-to-all video advertising competition. For the eight year, PepsiCo invites individuals to compete to have their own Doritos ads air in front of millions during Super Bowl XLVIII, the pinnacle of television advertising. What’s new this year? Doritos is opening Crash The Super Bowl (CTSB) up to the whole world, or at least to any of the 46 countries where Doritos are sold.
To talk about this latest evolution, but also about the general strategy of relying on consumers for the production of advertising content, I had the great pleasure to talk to Chris Kuechenmeister, Senior Director of Public Relations at Frito-Lay North America (which is part of PepsiCo). He kindly replied to my tweet and we had a very interesting chat on Monday. Here’s his insider perspective on this pioneering crowdsourcing initiative. One question a day.
As CTSB is entering its 8th edition… Was it initially planned to have a yearly contest?
You know, when we started this contest in 2006-2007, I don’t know if the Doritos brand ever would have anticipated how big it would become. At the time, we were looking for new ways to engage with consumers. We were looking for how we could bring the brand’s purpose to life in a unique way, because the brand has a very unique set of values and a purpose that is aimed at engaging with mobile consumers, young guys aged 18 to 25.
We really wanted to evolve the brand by getting the consumers more involved
At the time, we were looking at what the brand had to offer to its consumers, and also what our consumers were interested in doing, and we thought that our fans were interested in being able to show their creativity, they were looking for bold opportunities that were larger than life. The brand also knew that it was going to advertise on the Super Bowl, which is one of the biggest sporting events that we have in the United States, and which is also one of the few times a year where people actually want to watch advertisements rather than walk away. The Super Bowl has become a big pop culture phenomenon, and we though…
What if we give our consumers complete control of our Super Bowl television commercials? What could that do for us?
Many people at the time were very uncomfortable with the idea. It was a new idea that hadn’t been done before because it costs millions of dollars to buy the advertising time during the Super Bowl, and it was a very big gamble. To turn over your most expensive advertising program of the year to consumers who are complete amateurs, people that have not made a Super Bowl commercial before. So people were a little bit uncomfortable, but we really believed that our consumers had the talent and the creativity to meet that challenge, and they really did a great job that first year.
We were blown away by the talent that our consumers showed and the different kind of entries that came in, which is why we decided to bring it back the next year. And it became bigger and bigger every year, the response from our consumers has become overwhelmingly positive.
It has become bigger than anybody would have ever expected
Honestly, every year when the Super Bowl comes, and we have a winner whose ad airs, almost a few months after that’s done we start getting calls from consumers who ask if the contest will come back again. It really has become a great way for our brand to demonstrate its purpose and to engage with consumers in a unique way, and that’s why we’re already at the 8th edition of Crash The Super Bowl!
Is CTSB as a consumer-generated ad contest, even though many participants are professionals?
We are looking for creative people, no matter where they are coming from. A lot of the people that enter the contest are aspiring filmmakers or aspiring advertising people, they have the experience in the field, there is no doubt about it. But we don’t open the contest up to professional advertising agencies or professional filmmaking companies, it’s open to individuals, to fans of Doritos. When we look at the people that have become finalists and that have won the contest, they come from a wide range of backgrounds.
The third year we had the contest, we decided to offer a USD 1,000,000 prize for the consumer who would create a Doritos commercial that would score number one on USA Today’s AdMeter. That year, we had two brothers from a small town in Indiana, who had never made a TV commercial ever, and who tought themselves how to do it, participating in CTSB. They made the commercial that became a finalist, a winner, and they became number one in the USA Today AdMeter, so they won the USD 1,000,000 prize.
And they were not professionals at all, they learned it all by themselves, by reading books in the library, by watching YouTube videos and things like that. They spent less than USD 2,000 on their commercial. Two years we had a self-tought filmmaker who made his commercial for less than USD 100, I think it was even less, maybe USD 25. So we see a lot of different types of people that enter the contest. But what I think is important is that these people find unique creative ways to create this advertisement for Doritos, working with their friends or other people that they know. What they are telling us when they enter the contest is that they are hoping to use it as a stepping stone in their career. They want to position themselves for bigger career opportunities in filmmaking, advertising or one of these creative fields.
Why did you decide to open up CTSB to the whole world this year?
For a couple of reasons. The first one is that Doritos is a global brand, it is being sold in 46 countries around the world, and one of the things that we have been realizing at PepsiCo is that consumers at one part of the world are very similar to consumers in another part of the world. They tend to have the same interests, the same passions, they are motivated by many of the same things… so that is the first reason.
The second reason is that, this year, the Doritos brand intgrated all of its marketing across the world. We have the same logo everywhere in the world, we have the same marketing positioning, we have the same advertising… which was not the case before ; we had a very different feel to the brand from one part of the world to another. Today, everything is integrated, and we Doritos has the same positioning across the globe:
The Doritos brand is for bold consumers, our consumers are interested in bold opportunities, they like bold experiences.
We realize that this opportunity to create a commercial for Doritos, and potentially win USD 1,000,000 and potentially work on the set of the new Avengers movie with Marvel Studios, that was a pretty bold opportunity. Our colleagues around the world that work for Doritos felt that this could be a great opportunity to demonstrate that brand purpose. So everyone saw this as a bold opportunity, which is why you see CTSB brought to all consumers around the world now.
Are you also looking for insights arising from the different cultural interpretations of Doritos?
We are open to unique ideas and outstanding creativity. If you think about the fact that the most popular YouTube video ever comes from a Korean musician called Psy… Who would have thought that the world’s most popular video would be from Korea? To us, it shows that good content and good creativity can come from anywhere, that Doritos consumers from anywhere can come up with a great commercial for the brand, that’s what led us to open up the programm to the whole world.
We are looking for the best creativity, the best ads
Among all the entries that come in, we will pick the five best entries that we see, it doesn’t matter where they come from as long as they are coming from countries where Doritos are sold. We will put them up for a vote on Doritos.com, where the entire world will be able to vote for the one they think it’s the best. When it comes to the Super Bowl, we will air the one that gets most votes, as well as one that we will pick ourselves. Those two winners will win the chance to work on the Marvel Studios Avengers movie, and the one with most votes will go home with USD 1,000,000, no matter where she or he comes from.
Is it now part of PepsiCo’s DNA to open up the creative process to consumers?
For PepsiCo, the consumer is very important and we’re always listening to what they say. It’s not just about the way we market our brands, but also about how we bring our brands to life, how it looks on the shelves etc. Consumer engagement is always a high priority for PepsiCo’s brands, and it takes different forms and shhapes depending on what that brand is and what that product happens to be. Crash The Super Bowl is a great example of how we engage with consumers in an innovative way, and it’s also a demonstration of PepsiCo’s ability to take ideas from one part of the company to other parts of the company. Not a lot companies can do that, and we’re really proud of that.
PepsiCo really has a strength in being able to take great ideas and adapt them to other places
Thank you Chris for the chat!
Some useful links to go further:
- PepsiCo’s 1st “Crash The Super Bowl” Contest (Crowdsourcing Timeline)
- PepsiCo’s 2nd “Crash The Super Bowl” Contest (Crowdsourcing Timeline)
- PepsiCo’S 3rd “Crash The Super Bowl” Contest (Crowdsourcing Timeline)
- PepsiCo’s 4th “Crash The Super bowl” Contest (Crowdsourcing Timeline)
- PepsiCo’s 5th “Crash The Super Bowl” Contest (Crowdsourcing Timeline)
- PepsiCo’s 6th “Crash The Super Bowl” Contest (Crowdsourcing Timeline)
- PepsiCo’s 7th “Crash The Super Bowl” Contest (Crowdsourcing Timeline)
- PepsiCo’s 8th “Crash The Super Bowl” Contest (Crowdsourcing Timeline)
- How Pepsi engaged the Chinese youth with creative crowdsourcing


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(3D-SYSTEMS-CORP)(TDSC) 3D Systems Reports Second Quarter Profit,
Compared With Year-ago Loss; Product Sales up 18 Percent
(Business Wire; 07/23/98)
VALENCIA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 23, 1998--3D Systems Corp.
(Nasdaq/NMS:TDSC) Thursday reported total second quarter revenues of $24.7
million, up 13 percent from $21.8 million in the prior year, while product
sales increased 18 percent to $16.7 million, compared with $14.1 million in
the quarter a year ago.
Net income for the quarter totaled $526,000, or 5 cents a share, compared
with a net loss in last year's second quarter of $280,000, or 2 cents a
share. The 1997 quarter included $500,000 in nonrecurring expenses related
to severance benefits.
For the six months ended June 26, the company posted record revenues of
$47.5 million, up 10 percent from $43.3 million in 1997. First half net
income was $880,000, 8 cents a share, compared with $108,000, or 1 cent a
share, in the year earlier period.
Arthur B. Sims, chairman and chief executive officer, commented: "We are
pleased by the company's increasing sales and improved bottom line. Product
margins continue to improve, our order bookings rate is up substantially
over a year ago, and the balance sheet is benefiting from better asset
At the close of the second quarter, the company's balance sheet showed cash
and short-term investments of $19.2 million, up $3.6 million from the
preceding quarter. Receivables, measured by days sales outstanding,
improved to 87 days, down from the prior quarter's 94 days. Inventories
continued their downward path, and were 15 percent less than at year-end.
Concerning operating expenses, Sims stated: "While general and
administrative expenses were about flat with the first quarter, sales and
marketing reflected planned program increases and variable expenses related
"Also, while research and development expenses were up over the first
quarter, and the second quarter a year ago, they relate to specific
projects that are proceeding according to plan and substantially on
"Orders flow overall showed substantial improvement over last year's second
quarter, although performance was not uniform across our three main
markets. The Americas were strong compared to a year ago, though not yet
performing up to our full expectation. 3D's European orders flow was robust
and compensated for anticipated weak results in Asia, which accounts for a
relatively small part of our business."
3D Systems manufactures rapid product development systems [.....]
CONTACT: 3D Systems Corp., Valencia
Frank J. Spina, Ext. 2216
Mary E. Woods, Ext. 2508
For more information about the rp-ml, see http://ltk.hut.fi/rp-ml/
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : Tue Jun 05 2001 - 22:46:18 EEST


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Micro Nano Tech-Area showed various innovations
Both companies and research institutes took the opportunity to showcase their products and services to the international audience.
The product variety on-site ranged from high-end chip-level technologies, microfluidic cartridges, precision motors and the world’s smallest digital camera to neuroimplants, innovative catheters, micro-molding solutions and state-of-the-art implants design to a compact device for emergency and lifesaving trainings. Several exhibitors presented miniaturized pumps that can dispense extremely tiny amounts of liquid with high precision.
„America First“? Decisions are made pragmatically according to economic interests
The MD&M West 2019 was a successful exhibition for the IVAM exhibitors. They described both the quantity and the quality of the leads as excellent. IVAM Managing Director Thomas Dietrich was extremely satisfied with the way the fair went: „After the announcement of an America-First policy by the US government, there were, concerns if the United States would remain an attractive market for international medical device companies. However, our local experience shows that these worries were unnecessary. Export-oriented countries such as Germany and Japan, but also other European countries, are still welcome suppliers of high-tech products. Decisions are made pragmatically according to economic interests.“
In addition to the officially organized appointments during the exhibition, the networking events, this year for example a happy hour and a networking dinner, have proven to be extremely important for establishing and maintaining contacts between international companies.
For 2020, IVAM already reserved an area for the joint stand. The first exhibitors have directly renewed their participation. Further information can be found on the IVAM website at https://www.ivam.de/events/md_m_west_2020.


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Ikea is planning to open its first city center store in the U.S., marking what the company said is its ongoing transformation and commitment to bring the retailer into the heart of urban areas. The “Ikea Planning Studio” is slated to open in Manhattan in spring 2019.
Globally, Ikea said it is adapting and evolving to be more accessible and convenient for customers and will develop 30 new touchpoints in city centers over the next three years. The New York City location is the first market in the U.S. for the Planning Studio concept.
The Planning Studio concept was co-created with New Yorkers who provided input to Ikea throughout the planning process, the company said. The location will open at 999 Third Avenue in the spring of 2019 and will focus on smart solutions for urban living and small spaces. It will also give customers the opportunity to discover, select and order Ikea products for delivery to their home.
“We recognize that we are in a rapidly changing retail environment, and to be fit for long-term growth, Ikea is transforming in a way that lets us meet our customers where they are,” said Lars Petersson, country manager, Ikea retail U.S. “New York City is the natural choice to open the first city center store— the most vibrant, dynamic city in the U.S., and the epicenter of retail, business, and culture.”
The Ikea Planning Studio will complement the existing stores in the New York market with stores in Brooklyn, Elizabeth, Long Island and Paramus. The company said it will also remodel the Brooklyn store, and recently opened a new customer fulfilment center in Staten Island to deliver products to customers in the market.


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Soon after getting an formal start day yesterday, the OnePlus 6T is now up for pre-scheduling on Amazon India. The smartphone is because of to start on October thirty, and the pre-scheduling will go stay at 12 midday these days onward. Also, offline shops like Croma and OnePlus exceptional shops will also consider pre-bookings for the awaited smartphone.
OnePlus has partnered with Amazon to give greatest benefit to people who pre-book the OnePlus 6T. Customers can buy an Amazon e-gift card well worth Rs one,000, which can be redeemed to buy the OnePlus 6T when it goes on sale on November two. All those who pre-book the smartphone will get the new Variety-C Bullets earphones well worth Rs. one,490 alongside with an more cashback of Rs five hundred on the Amazon Fork out equilibrium after the order is built.
This basically suggests that prospects purchasing the Amazon Gift card can avail more benefit of Rs five hundred.
To remember, the OnePlus 6T will be succeeding their existing flagship smartphone-the OnePlus six. The business has verified that the new phone will be arriving with the most recent in display fingerprint bio-metric tech in area of the rear mounted fingerprint sensor. It is also said to have Oppo like drinking water-drop notch and a set of upgraded cameras on equally entrance and back again.
OnePlus has also uncovered that the 6T won’t have the three.5mm audio jack, but the consumers will get a more substantial 3700mAh battery in area.
We have been masking the OnePlus 6T thoroughly in our committed merchandise hub. You can head around this link for more information and facts on the approaching smartphone.


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On Tuesday, June 11, 2022, at approximately 0752hrs, the Borough of Berwick Police Department was dispatched to the Market Street Plaza Laundromat, located at 125 East 9th Street, about a burglary that was just discovered. Berwick Police Officers made contact with the owner who then reviewed the video surveillance system. It was discovered that two (2) white males were playing with the amusement machines up until 0100hrs when the doors are scheduled to lock automatically. The owner stated the males then blocked the door to the laundromat as they were leaving, which would ultimately interfere with the automatic locking mechanism, leaving the doors unsecured. The owner stated it was a short time later that a single suspect entered through the unsecured front doors of the laundromat and went directly to the amusement machines. The owner stated the suspect was wearing a mask and gloves but was also wearing similar clothing as one (1) of the males that blocked the front doors just a short time prior.
The owner stated the suspect then removed power tools from a backpack and began using an electric-powered saw to cut the lock off of the amusement machine and subsequently used a key to open the money compartment. The owner stated that after a successful entry into the machine, the suspect stole an undetermined amount of money, gathered his tools and belongings, and left the laundromat.
One of the males was later identified as Kody Cragle and the amount of money stolen was $386.00. The cost to repair the machine was $1,980.00.
Click here if you believe this listing was made in error.


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Stephenville residents get excited when it comes to new restaurants, and in the past few months they have enjoyed the opening of Enoki Sushi and Panda Express.
And on Monday, the long-awaited Burger Joint at Graham Central Station is set to open at 11 a.m.
Stephenville attorney and former city councilman Boyd Waggoner is opening the restaurant and says it will specialize in old fashion hamburgers, fries, shakes, chicken tenders, salads and wraps.
The Stephenville City Council recently approved a rezoning for alcohol sales so beer and wine will be added to the menu soon as well.
“I bought the old filling station about two years ago with the intent of opening this restaurant,” Waggoner said.
The restaurant plays on the name of the former gas station - Graham Central Station - and will include indoor and outdoor seating and a fireplace.
The Burger Joint at Graham Central Station is located, of course, on Graham Street.


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Haarlem, The Netherlands (PRWEB UK) 25 October 2013 -- Dutch startup Cancel.My (http://www.cancel.my) helps consumers quickly and easily cancel subscriptions to newspapers, magazines, political parties, insurance companies, mobile operators, and much more. "At least a thousand companies or institutions per country, and we are now opening the 10th country this week", says founder Maarten Roelofs on his already international initiative.
Within a week after opening, the service has already attracted thousands of consumers. The service is very simple: a consumer goes to the site and searches for a company or organization which they want to end the contract or relation with. They're then offered to directly cancel out by letter, phone or email.
The cancellation sites get a lot of traffic through search engines mainly. People find our web pages through popular terms like “cancel + company", or “Unsubscribe from + political party", which are very popular searches.
Today, Maarten Roelofs and his business partner Sandra Hofstede are offering the service in ten countries. Next week the service will cover at least twelve countries. And, by the end of this year, all of Europe and the USA will be serviced by sites like Cancel.My, Afmelden.nl, Opsig.dk, Abmelden.de, Cancelare.pt, Wypiszsie.pl, Afmelden.be Kundigen.ch and Cancellare.it. Cancel.My sends letters and routes phone calls to call-centers, all for free. The consumer pays nothing. "We have a number of business models in mind, but for the next few months the service is free." says Roelofs.
The capital comes from the entrepreneurs themselves and investors from printing company Foprico and telecom expert Leonard Wolters. These angel investors provide relevant technology and knowledge.
A team of fifty volunteers and freelancers graze all target countries. Every relevant entry, including the many suggestions we receive, is researched and entered into the database for immediate availability.
"The principal philosophy behind our service, and that’s why we find so many people helping us, is that consumer trust should be earned, not enforced by small print in contracts. As a company, you have to earn the trust of a consumer all the time. Not only at the time of signing.
- You can not cancel everything.. some searches included: “the very difficult relationship with my wife”, or “my mother in law”.
SOURCE [email protected]


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Qoros will be resurrected by a new SUVMarch 17, 2020
The now-forgotten Sino-Israeli brand was created to conquer Europe.
The world first heard about the Qoros brand in 2013, when, through the joint efforts of Chinese Chery and a division of the Israeli company Kenon, the Qoros 3 sedan was released. A bit later the Qoros 5 crossover appeared. which was sold to the Baoneng Group holding, in which they are sure that everything can still be fixed.
It has now become known that Baoneng Group experts have begun testing their new products. On the web were published pictures of a camouflaged model. Under the film layer you can see the matrix optics, as well as some elements of autonomy – radars and lidars.
At the same time, the press service of the brand even published designer sketches for the interior of the future crossover. Judging by them, the new model will receive a digital dashboard and a tablet-oriented screen of the multimedia system, as well as a double-faced steering wheel. It is assumed that the crossover will be called Qoros 6 or Qoros 7, and its debut will take place during 2020.
- Formula 1 Champion to compete in EV racing for the first time
- Tesla accused another employee of stealing classified data
- The exclusive Maybach 57S is up for sale. His customer could be Gaddafi
- Updated Toyota Highlander 2021 goes on sale for the first time in Europe
- New Hyundai Bayon B-SUV crossover spotted in spy photos


text:
As reported a few days ago, since last weekend Hulu started blocking PlayStation 3 owners from accessing content.
Speculation is now underway whether it's due to Hulu's recent TOS change, or if a new partnership with Microsoft is behind the dreaded "This Video is Not Available on Your Platform" messages PS3 owners are currently seeing.
To quote: A more interesting theory is that Microsoft paid off Hulu to block the PS3. Rumors of Hulu coming to the Xbox 360 have been circulating ever since Netflix 'Watch Now' arrived on the console.
If in fact Microsoft was in negotiations with Hulu to offer the service through their hardware, it isn't hard to imagine one condition of the deal (sweetened with a big sack of shiny gold coins) being that Playstation 3 owners be blocked. (But then, see above re: nervous network execs.)
No matter what the truth is, once again the consumer loses out. Is it too much to ask for transparency when changes like this are made? Wouldn't it be refreshing if Hulu made clear why it is suddenly cutting off some users of its service?
More PlayStation 3 News...


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Around the world, the name Disney is usually associated with classic characters such as Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh, but in China, soft toys of LinaBell - a pink fox that did not exist until four months ago - have become the latest offerings from the "happiest place on Earth" to set off a mania among young consumers.
Three days before New Year's Eve, thousands of people lined up outside the Shanghai Disney Resort overnight, braving the cold weather in hope of grabbing a prized limited Christmas version of the LinaBell doll. In one video that went viral online, a man who failed to get his hands on the blue-eyed, tartan-skirt-wearing stuffed animal broke down on his knees and yelled that he had blood in his urine for standing too long.
Shanghai Disney Resort, the only location where the item was sold, went on to publish an apology letter on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo, saying that it "regrets that demand could not be all met".
Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.
May Peng, a woman in her 20s from Guangdong, said that she understands why people would find comfort in being greeted by LinaBell at Shanghai Disney Resort.
"She is a vivid character who is sometimes childish, and sometimes warm. The actor who played the role is very energetic and hard-working," Peng said. "Think about it, if you can buy happiness with 500 yuan (US$78.4), why not? Life has been really hard, and LinaBell is the sweetest."
Unlike most Disney characters, LinaBell became a hit in China without first appearing in a film or television show. Rather, just like so many personalities and characters who have found fame in the internet era, LinaBell first landed on many people's radar through social media.
Many fans said they first came across the cartoon fox when friends sent them virtual stickers made from LinaBell's photos on Tencent Holdings' ubiquitous messaging app WeChat. On social media platforms such as Weibo and Xiaohongshu, as well as video-streaming platforms like Bilibili, LinaBell has been featured in countless videos taken by tourists at Shanghai Disney Resort.
Fans often refer to LinaBell as their "daughter". Many even show interest in the Disney employees who dress as LinaBell at Shanghai Disney Resort. Internet users speculate that at least three different people have played the role, based on how the costume fits the person inside at different times.
In a video that was reposted more than 700 times on Weibo within hours, LinaBell was seen comforting a woman who cried in joy on meeting the character. The fox gave her a hug, while dancing and wagging her tail, prompting one Weibo user to exclaim, "Our daughter is so warm. I almost cried, too."
"I think for many people, she is a character who lives in the fantasy world and will never hurt you," Peng said. "Even though you know she is not a real person, just think about the actors who play the role - they are also trying their best to be kind. You will also encourage yourself to keep going."
Much of LinaBell's appeal lies in the ability for fans to meet the character in person, said Zhu Changci, an analyst at market research firm Leadleo.
"The interaction between LinaBell and the tourists makes her a vivid character that is not limited to simple text descriptions like 'courage' and 'curiosity'," Zhu said. "These interactions are in line with the personalities and consumption patterns of Generation Z."
The character's popularity has sent the second-hand prices of LinaBell dolls soaring.
Most original LinaBell dolls are officially priced at around a few hundred yuan, but on Xianyu, a popular used goods trading platform owned by Alibaba Group Holding, some people are selling theirs at around 2,000 yuan - nearly 10 times the original price. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.
Meanwhile, enterprising merchants are rushing to produce copycats, often sold for much less than the originals. On Xianyu and Alibaba's business-to-business trading platform 1688.com, a search for LinaBell turned up dolls that cost as little as a few dozen yuan.
A Xianyu merchant, who declined to be named, started selling LinaBell dolls for 158 yuan each - cheaper than Disney's official price - more than a month ago. "Many (merchants) have made sewing patterns (based on the original version). In just a few months' time, I think almost all Disney fans had bought at least one (LinaBell) doll," she said, adding that she expects LinaBell's popularity to last for about half a year.
These cheaper versions of LinaBell toys sometimes led to disappointment.
A 27-year-old woman from Wuhan, who asked to be referred to as Jiali, said she received a LinaBell doll from her boyfriend as a surprise gift, only to find that its fur kept falling off, while its eyes looked a bit "spooky". Her boyfriend said he spent 500 yuan on the doll, which came with a price tag of 219 yuan, from a seller on e-commerce platform Shihuo who claimed it was authentic.
"It didn't feel right when I got it," Jiali said. "I'm pretty sure it's fake after comparing it to others, but it really did a good job in making it look real."
Jiali ended up applying for a refund, but said she understood how others would be happy to pay up.
"It's incredible how these sellers dare to sell a fake doll at 500 yuan," she said. "(But) people can spend as much as they're willing to pay for something they like."


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The Federal Trade Commission released a report on cross-device tracking, including descriptions of the technology used to track consumers across multiple devices, the benefits and challenges associated with tracking users, and industry efforts to remedy those issues. While the report dives into the benefits of cross-device tracking, it states consumers often do not know the practice is taking place and have limited choices in controlling any data tracking. The report highlights several industry self-regulatory efforts and encourages companies engaged in the practice to "truthfully disclose tracking to consumers and business partners; offer consumers choices about how their cross-device activity is tracked; obtain consumers’ affirmative express consent before engaging in cross-device tracking on sensitive topics and before collecting and sharing precise geolocation information; and maintain reasonable security to avoid future unexpected and unauthorized uses of data," the announcement states.
FTC Cross-device Tracking Report
This study from Justin Brookman, Phoebe Rouge, Aaron Alva and Christina Yeung looks at what information about cross-device tracking (including data flows and policy disclosures) is observable from the perspective of the end user. Their paper demonstrates how data that is routinely collected and shar...


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Jury Announces Nominated Products for DAME Design Award 2022
METSTRADE is pleased to announce that 48 products from a total field of 104 entries spanning 14 countries have been nominated to enter the final rounds of judgement for the 31st edition of the DAME Design Award 2022.
This year marked a welcome full return of an international jury of leading design and user experts to the DAME Design Award’s specially created assessment room at RAI Amsterdam. Following detailed pre-visit scrutiny of submitted entry information, the eight members of the Jury, chaired by renowned yacht designer Andre Hoek, gathered to spend two very intensive hands-on days looking at products in detail. The nominations for the final assessment were agreed upon after much discussion.
It is from this list of 48 nominations (see below) that the winners from seven categories and the ultimate accolade of 31st anniversary DAME Design Award winner will emerge. The Jury will also name its first discretionary Environmental Design Award winner.
All nominees and winners will be celebrated at the METSTRADE 2022 Breakfast Briefing in the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre on 15 November, featuring a keynote speech by electric aircraft visionary, Cory Combs.
All DAME nominated products will feature on a special display at METSTRADE located at the heart of the show in the Elicium (Hall 13). Alongside, the METSTRADE Theatre will host daily discussion panels from this year’s DAME Design Awards category and outright winners.
Driving design improvement despite other pressures
Andre Hoek, chair of the DAME Jury, says: “It is well known that the marine leisure equipment sector has been under severe pressure for the past two years. It has needed to satisfy a strong surge in market demand while dealing with significant supply chain challenges. Ordinarily, you might expect this to completely pull the focus away from R&D. Impressively though, many of this year’s very wide field of entries showed evidence of ongoing investment in better design, which is vital for longer-term future of the whole industry.
“The DAME Design Award has a long history of setting the bar high and it is not easy to satisfy all the design criteria we consider – including function, form, environment, innovation, and price to performance. The nominees listed here are to be congratulated on meeting the scrutiny of our jury members and I look forward to finalising the results and announcing the best of the best at the Breakfast Briefing.”
METSTRADE director Niels Klarenbeek adds: “For more than three decades the DAME Design Award has been very much a part of the METSTRADE DNA. It encourages design improvement leading to excellence in the experience of water sports enthusiasts, greater efficiency for manufacturing operation and improvement in environmental impact.
“The DAME Design Award is a significant high-water mark for many equipment manufacturers and suppliers around the world. We look forward to celebrating once again the significant design successes of our industry at METSTRADE .”
Panbo publishes select press releases as a service to readers and the marine electronics industry. The release contents do not reflect the opinion of the editors and are not fact checked by the editors


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Xiaomi's optimism stands in contrast to rivals Apple and Samsung Electronics, which have both warned of a tough year ahead.
Online sales of non-essentials have resumed in Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Pune, and with a few restrictions in Ahmedabad as well.
Experts predict smartphone sales via ecommerce platforms this festive season will capture more than half of the market and exceed offline sales for the first time
Oppo had previously obtained permission from the state authorities and resumed production at its Greater Noida manufacturing facility on May 8, 2020
Handset makers said that their supply chain partners are still facing challenges for approvals from authorities to start operations which will impact the manufacturing of mobile devices in the country.
Only 26% respondents said they would spend on non-essential products, according to a survey
Apple is eyeing the possibility of shifting nearly a fifth of its production capacity from China to India
After a complete washout in April, handset makers have flooded the smartphone market with launches this month
US firm could make handsets worth $40 billion over the next five years through contract manufacturers, becoming country's largest exporter
Production cuts will be most in premium product portfolio as companies expect consumers to curb discretionary spending as the impact of the Covid-19.
These handset makers have received approvals to restart production in their Noida and Greater Noida facilities from this week, albeit with limited 20-30% capacity.
Xiaomi, Realme says potential of offline sales post Covid-19 intact; consumers may change buying habit
Xiaomi and Realme said they will restructure their product plans and portfolio this year with the change in buying habit.
Industry executives say most plants will work at low capacity at least until the festive season
As per estimates by experts, an inventory of 5 million phones is lying in the offline channel for smartphones alone.
China, where the virus was first detected, is both a major market for Apple, and is also home to most of the company's contract factories.
A steep annual decline in March due to Covid-19 outbreak restricted the overall quarter growth of the whole quarter
CAIT ditched ICEA on Friday and backed AIMRA in its views that offline handset shops shouldn't be opened during the Covid crisis.


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Beamer mad Britons put BMW in the fast lane as UK profits jump by a third
BMW’S British division hit the profits accelerator last year as sales of ‘Beamers’ and Minis increased and the company raised its marketing spend, including sponsoring the London Olympics.
Turnover for the year to December 31, 2012 for the wholly-owned UK subsidiary increased from £3.5billion to £3.8billion, while pre-tax profits rose by a third from £40.2million to £52.9million.
Badge of honour: Brit's rushed to buy the German marque last year.
While the car market in Britain grew by only 5.3 per cent, BMW sales grew by 9.4 per cent to 127,630, while 51,324 Minis were sold, a rise of 2.4 per cent. BMW also owns Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, but files separate accounts for the brand.
In their notes to the accounts filed last week, the company directors said that they believed ‘that the company is well placed to continue its strategy as the UK economy continues its recovery.’
BMW will launch its new 4 series at the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany next month.
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TM reports RM5.78bil in revenue for 1H18
By Digital News Asia August 29, 2018
- Launched our Performance Improvement Programme 2018 to overcome headwinds
- Revised capex guidance for the full year to 19% – 20% of revenue
TELEKOM Malaysia Bhd (TM) on Aug 29 announced its financial results for the first half of the year ended June 30, 2018 (1H18).
The group posted revenue of RM5.78 billion year-to-date, 2.7% lower from RM5.94 billion in the corresponding period last year.
This was primarily due to a decline in voice, data and other telecommunication related services as well as provisions recognised against wholesale revenue impacted by regulatory mandated access pricing.
Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation (Ebitda) for 1H18 was RM1.61 billion as compared to RM1.8 billion in 1H17 mainly due to the lower revenue. Stripping off non-operational items, such as unrealised forex loss on trade settlement, Group Normalised Ebitda was 13.9% lower, at RM1.6 billion.
Reported Earnings Before Interest and Tax (Ebit) for 1H18 was RM444.5 million as compared to RM560.9 million in 1H17. Stripping off some non-operational items, in particular unrealised foreign exchange loss on international trade settlement, normalised Ebit stood at RM433 million.
Reported Profit After Tax and Non-controlling Interests (Patami) was at RM259.1 million, whilst Group Normalised Patami was RM261.1 million, after setting aside non-operational items such as unrealised forex impact on borrowings and international trade settlements.
TM acting group chief executive officer Bazlan Osman, said: “The first six months of 2018 has been very challenging for us, from rapid developments in the market to increasing regulatory pressures.
“Given the current landscape, these events further add challenges to our financial performance. Being cognisant of the potential impact to TM, we had revised our 2018 Headline KPIs as well as capex guidance in early July 2018.
“Alongside this revision, we also launched our Performance Improvement Programme (PIP 2018) as a broad initiative to overcome the headwinds. The PIP 2018 is guided by four main pillars - Revenue Uplift, Sustained Profitability, Improved Cash Flow and Increased Productivity. We expect the regulatory and sector challenges to persist in the near-to-midterm and undertaking these PIP 2018 initiatives are necessary measures to ensure the sustainability of our business for the long term.”
The total capital expenditure (capex) for 1H18 amounted to RM710 million or equivalent to 12.3% of revenue. Of the total capex investment, 18% was allocated for core network, 59% was for access, and the balance 23% for support systems.
“Delivering convergence and going digital remains our priority. We will continue to focus on growth, yet be more prudent in our spending and sweat our existing assets. As such, we are also revising our capex guidance for the full year to 19% – 20% of revenue.”
“We currently have 2.3 million broadband customers and in terms of convergence, we saw more customers moving up the value chain with having triple-play services and above, evidenced by our convergence penetration now at 47% compared to just 37% in 2Q17,” he added.
At the media briefing, TM also announced that its unifi Basic plan, which is a 60GB broadband-only unifi plan will now be extended to everyone beginning September 2018 (no longer exclusive for households with income of less than RM4,500 per month).
“Affordability and accessibility of quality highspeed broadband services is important to TM, and we are committed to lead the charge to unlock the potential of a digitally-savvy Malaysia. As such, we are happy to announce that we are extending the unifi basic plan to all,” he concluded.
For the current quarter under review, group revenue stood at RM2.94 billion, higher by 3.1% q-o-q mainly attributed to an increase in data, internet and other telecommunication related services.
Group Ebitda rose 10.3% q-o-q to RM845.9 million from RM766.7 million the previous quarter. Stripping off non-operational items, such as unrealised forex loss on trade settlement, group normalised Ebitda was 5.9% higher, at RM823.4 million.
Group Ebit grew by 27.2% q-o-q to RM248.9 million from RM195.6 million in 1Q18. On a normalised basis, Ebit improved by 9.6% q-o-q to RM226.4 million from RM206.6 million in 1Q18.
Group Patami was at RM102 million, lower by 35.1% q-o-q from RM157.1 million in the preceding quarter, whilst Group Normalised Patami was RM155.8 million q-o-q, higher by 48% q-o-q, after setting aside non-operational items such as unrealised foreign exchange impact on borrowings and international trade settlements.
For the current quarter under review, group revenue stood at RM2.94 billion, lower by 1.5% y-o-y mainly due to voice and data services.
Group Ebit stood at RM248.9 million, lower by 3.2% y-o-y from RM257.1 million in 2Q17. On a normalised basis, Ebit was lower by 25.6% y-o-y to RM226.4 million from RM304.5 million in 2Q17.
Group Patami stood at RM102 million, less 51.5% as compared to 2Q17; whilst Normalised Patami also decreased 25.1% y-o-y to RM155.8 million from RM208 million in 2Q17.
Prospects for the financial year ending Dec 31, 2018
The recent regulatory challenges and market environment have had major impact to the overall revenue estimates and earnings of TM Group in the current quarter.
TM anticipates that the challenging environment will persist for both of its retail and wholesale segments. In the midst of these challenges, TM will continue to focus on strengthening performance of its core business and operations.
TM to fully implement paperless billing starting Sept 10
TM faces ‘mammoth task’ of upgrading broadband speed; offers RM79 unifi package
TM revises 2018 KPIs, introduces new broadband plans


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Brandweek will feature live discussions with marketing pros at ULTA Beauty, Converse, UPS and more. Meet us in Miami Sept. 11–14 to boost your business and elevate your brand.
OK, we now know exactly why Snapchat has recently pushed the idea of being called a "camera company."
Snapchat CEO Evan Speigel on Friday evening unveiled the tech firm's first hardware product in the form of video-recording, sunglasses-styled eyewear, according to The Wall Street Journal. The one-size-fits-all devices, called Spectacles, will be available this fall for $129.99 from Snap Inc., which is the tech player's new corporate name.
The fresh moniker and suddenly diversified portfolio also point to a probable IPO that has been rumored for weeks.


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If you’re looking for a straight-forward, affordable PC gaming solution, the IdeaCentre Y710 from Lenovo is a great bargain. With a quad-core CPU, plenty of speedy RAM, and a Polaris-based AMD Radeon RX card, you can play the vast majority of PC games without spending much.
The Schiaparelli lander encountered issues during its descent and was lost. Now, an analysis from the European Space Agency (ESA) details the failure and makes suggestions as to how the second phase of the mission might avoid a similar fate.
A worker safety group says Tesla’s factory is below average on safety. We’re getting better, Tesla says. But what happens when it ramps from 80,000 cars in 2016 to 500,000 in 2018?
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Although Myer (ASX: MYR) has reported a strong period of trade in the five months leading up to January, the retail giant warns Omicron has negatively impacted business into the new year.
The retailer reported total sales increased by 12.3 per cent year-on-year, with online sales surging by 54.3 per cent and making up more than a quarter of transactions.
Department store sales in the lead-up to Christmas were strong, as Myer recorded a 17.1 per cent increase for the two months leading up to January compared to the same time last year.
As the Omicron wave continues to impact foot traffic, the company is looking to focus on growing its online channel.
“The results demonstrate the continued momentum of our Customer First Plan and the resilience of the business to overcome the initial months of lockdowns and still record significant sales growth during this period,” said Myer CEO John King.
“Whilst we are seeing Omicron impact sales post-Christmas, we will continue to focus on growing our strong online business, ongoing engagement across our MYER one program and disciplined management of costs and inventory.”
Myer notes that although sales performance led to improved operating gross profit it was offset by higher costs of doing business, which was primarily due to the absence of JobKeeper that was received in the prior corresponding period.
The retailer also reported 27 per cent of bricks-and-mortar trading days were lost during the first quarter due to COVID-19 mandated store closures.
Shares in MYR are up by 6.7 per cent to $0.40 per share at 12:47 AEDT today.
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FRANKFURT (AP) -- German machinery and factory equipment orders posted their 13th consecutive drop for October, but improved on past months, the industry group VDMA said Wednesday.
Domestic machinery and factory equipment orders for the month were 29 percent below October 2008 levels, while international orders were 28 percent below year-ago levels, the group said.
In September, orders for both domestic and international markets were 33 percent lower.
The group, based in Frankfurt, said for the three month period of August-October, orders were down 35 percent overall compared with the same period in 2008.
It said the latest data suggest an improvement in the market but added the situation was still far away from a turnaround, calling it "stabilized at a low level."
"The development is standing on wobbly legs ... but we have made a start," Ralf Wiechers, the VDMA's chief economist said in the report. "The strong, deep fall of orders domestically and internationally could finally be stopped."
The sector posted its steepest yearly drop of 58 percent in April 2009, while in October 2008 showed the smallest decline with 16 percent fall in orders.
Germany's export-dependent economy technically emerged from a deep recession in the second quarter, but the country's companies and workers still face slack demand and rising unemployment.


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Data science, big data and analytics industry in India is expected to experience 8X growth hitting $16 billion by 2025 from the current $2 billion, experts say. Out of the terrific annual inflow to the analytics industry, nearly 11% can be ascribed to advanced analytics, data science and predictive analytics and a substantial 11% to big data.
In the next seven years, the Indian analytics industry will expand its horizons further and demand more analytics professionals to join the data bandwagon. Separately, the BI and analytics software market revenue in India will touch Rs 1980 crore in 2018, increasing at a rate of 18% per year. As a result, Indian companies and organizations are shifting their focus from traditional data reporting to augmented analytics tools that will not only enhance the process of data preparation and evaluation but will help predict the future outcomes, successfully.
Trends in Analytics
Several sectors across the Indian industry of companies and startups have started embracing data analytics – no wonder, the data analytics landscape in India is growing rapidly, so is the revenue generation.
Contemporary, architecture-oriented data analytics tools are the order of the day. Rightfully so, the companies and budding startups are replacing tactical and traditional data analytics programs for more strategic approaches. The current breed of fast followers is even seeking hefty investments in advanced analytical solutions powered by AI, ML and Deep Learning. It would lessen the time taken to market and sharpen analytics offerings. Focused data management is bringing forth a rapid shift to the hybrid and cloud data management scenario – through iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service) tools. Data lakes and hubs are also emerging here and there. They are in demand for ingesting and administering multi-structured data. Nevertheless, a lack of talent pool will cost the industry immensely. It can be a major deterring factor towards their seamless adoption.
It’s about time to be data-smart with an excellent data analyst certification from the experts. Headquartered in Delhi, DexLab Analytics is one of the prime data analyst training institutes that will help you stay ahead of the curve, especially data curve!
Statistics of Data Analysis
Geographically speaking, more than 64% of revenue generated from data analytics in India comes from the USA. We are a leading exporter of data analytics to the US, taking figures to as high as $1.7 billion. In the FY18 alone, the revenue generation from the US has increased by 45%. Next, ranks the UK with 9.6% revenue generation. Technically, analytics revenue generation in India has almost doubled from last year – in terms of countries Poland, UAE, New Zealand, Belgium, Romania & Spain. Furthermore, Indian analytics firms are not left far behind in the data game – they contribute 4.7% of analytics revenues to Indian analytics market.
Well, it seems India is doing pretty good in terms of adopting cutting data analytics technology and reaping fetching benefits. If interested in data analytics, don’t stay behind. Reach us at DexLab Analytics and throw your queries right away.
The blog has been sourced from ― www.dqindia.com/india-analyzes-big-data-science-analytics-market-india
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Farmers are learning a hard lesson in Western Australia and are switching back to GM-free canola after GE canola sales have floundered .
The experience of farmers across the Tasman signals the huge opportunity for Brand New Zealand to preserve its GE-Free status. All that is necessary to realise the long-term economic benefit of clean, safe GM-free food production is for government to keep New Zealand production GE-free and restore the moratorium on commercial release.
"Our GE-free status is gaining us a marketing edge where organic and GE-free is in demand, and this must be protected," says Jon Carapiet, spokesman for GE-Free NZ in Food and Environment.
Western Australian Minister for Agriculture Terry has announced that Canola yields and quality suffered severely because of weather conditions and he was advised that "none of this GM canola has been sold at this point..." .
The GE canola has become an economic loss-making exercise as buyers pay less per tonne than for its higher quality GE-free counterpart. On top of this, it appears there are no buyers for GE canola seed, as farmers turn their backs on the GE variants and respond to market signals demanding GE-free product. This has prompted the contract Grain Traders to ask farmers to go back to growing GE-free canola for their export markets.
The information comes on the back of GE contamination of Australian organic farms, with cases now reaching the Courts. Farmers have had a taste of how costly it becomes when neighbours' livelihoods are affected by their farming activities.
"Unfortunately it is too late for some farmers to avoid damage from the economic gamble taken by others," says Claire Bleakley, president of GE-Free NZ in Food and Environment. "This is a sharp reminder that co-existence between GE and non-GE cannot work; the former effectively destroys the latter, along with the economic benefits that GE-free status brings."
For consumers and manufacturers using canola, the move back to GE-free production is positive. Earlier in the year Infant Formula manufacturers stated that they were no longer able to ensure a GE-free ingredient supply-line, signalling a threat to the integrity of the food supply. Goodman Fielder which has a GE-Free policy, had also begun to find it harder and harder to obtain GE-Free canola for their breads.
�It is significant for consumers in New Zealand and across the Tasman, that Australian farmers are moving away from GE cropping. Food safety and the wellbeing of loved ones is paramount, and this move assures us that our food choice is protected by allowing companies to source GE-free ingredients,� says Claire Bleakely.
The Australian farmer experience with GE is a warning to our government against any push for the introduction of GE ryegrass and against compromising our GE-free status by trading away food labelling, GE-free production and sovereignty under the TPPA or other trade deals.
It now falls to the WA government to reinstate their moratorium on GE crops, just as New Zealand's government needs to do.
Claire Bleakley 027 348 6731
Jon Carapiet 021 0507681
 GM canola � is anyone buying it? by Lisa Roth of student publication 3rd Degree
 Extract from Hansard, [COUNCIL � Thursday, 23 June 2011], p4736b-4736b, Hon Lynn MacLaren; Hon Peter Collier,
GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD � HONEY AND CANOLA http://www.lynnmaclaren.org.au/genetically-modified-food-honey-and-canola


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Revtech Media, the company behind group-discount website One Big Switch, has paid $25,200 after being penalised by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
The ACCC issued two infringement notices for alleged false and misleading energy price representations between July and November 2017.
One Big Switch advertised a 27 per cent discount for consumers in South East Queensland who switched to Click Energy’s ‘Big Switch Up’ offer.
“The ACCC alleged this representation was false or misleading because calculation of the 27 per cent discount was based on rates under the Big Switch Up offer which were higher than Click Energy’s ‘standing’ offer rates,” ACCC chair Rod Sims said.
One Big Switch also advertised consumers would save up to $372 a year if they switched to Click Energy.
The ACCC alleged the advertised savings were false or misleading because they were based on a comparison between Click Energy’s discounted market offer and the undiscounted ‘standing’ offers of EnergyAustralia, Origin and AGL.
The ACCC also alleged One Big Switch did not know what a particular customer was paying under their current plan with another retailer, and so did not have reasonable grounds to estimate the savings which could be achieved by switching.
“The actual savings for some consumers were much less than the amount advertised by One Big Switch,” Mr Sims said.
“We allege as a result of these claims, consumers were misled into assuming they were getting bigger discounts and savings than they would actually receive.
“Electricity costs are one of the most significant expenses households have to face. “Businesses are reminded that any misrepresentations made to consumers about electricity prices will be met with ACCC action.”
The ACCC recently made a number of recommendations to reduce the price of electricity.


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3 Monkeys' Tristan Pineiro joins Grayling as consumer brands MD
PR agency Grayling has hired Tristan Pineiro from 3 Monkeys as managing director of its consumer brands division.
He replaces Daniel Cohen who has been appointed managing director of Atomic, a Grayling agency, across EMEA.
Pineiro was previously 3 Monkeys' creative and consumer brand director, where he led a portfolio of clients including Three, E.ON, Disney, Pepsico, BiC and TravelSupermarket.
At Grayling he will work on Diageo, Nestlé and Energizer and will also be a member of the agency's UK executive board.
Alison Clarke, CEO UK & Ireland at Grayling, said: "Tristan will bolster our strong consumer team and bring a wealth of experience and abundance of creative brilliance as he shapes the future of Grayling‘s consumer offer."
Pineiro will take up the new post in May.


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Almost £1bn was spent in the first quarter of this year on new processing and packaging machinery, according to the first UK Buyers Survey by the PPMA.
More than 200 major end users across key sectors including food, beverages and pharmaceuticals were asked about their buying intentions for the coming year as well as reasons behind their investment decisions.
The key findings were:
•There is substantial spare production capacity in many factories, with utilisation at around 70%. Almost half of respondents said they intended to increase capacity in 2003.
• The range of investment in equipment was between £100k and £10M, with the majority of purchases being within the £100k and £500k marks.
•The outlook of those surveyed about increased investment was mixed; 35% said they would increase expenditure year on year in 2003; 25% said they would spend the same, while 40% said they would spend less.
•Important investment criteria was identified as increasing capacity (60%); improving efficiency (65%) and replacing old equipment (60%).
•New equipment makes up 75% of investment. Rebuilt and retrofitting accounts for 20%, leaving 5% for used machinery.
• Sources of machinery stood equally between imported and UK manufactured equipment.
• Processing equipment and end-of-line machines featured as the most popular likely targets for investment during 2003.
The PPMA plans to undertake the survey every six months and has contracted industry consultants PacLinc to conduct and collate the results.


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Behind Safe Doors: 4 cyber security threats your business can learn from
How much do you know about the cyber security threats your business could become a victim of? From email providers to hotels, taxi services to social media players, a huge number of businesses have made headlines in recent years thanks to their infrastructures falling into the wrong hands, and the way they’ve handled these cyber security threats. So which cyber security threats have become the most notorious, and how can you avoid your business becoming a victim of similar threats?
What kinds of cyber security threats have made the biggest impact on businesses?
While the scale of the most notorious cyber security threats vary, they all have one thing in common – the way each business reacted to being hacked has led to even bigger repercussions for their future reputation. As we’ve come to rely on the digital world, the number of cyber security threats facing businesses has grown rapidly too. From phishing to ransomware, cyber security threats are beginning to evolve, using the same technology you probably use to secure your business within the digital landscape. Knowing which cyber security threats have hit organisations the hardest, and understanding how they handled each data breach, will help your business avoid making the same mistakes when disaster strikes.
The Yahoo cyber security threat: The biggest data breach in history
Perhaps the most well known cyber security threat ever occured in 2014, when Yahoo became the victim of a huge data breach. This cyber attack made worldwide news because of the scale of the customers involved – as late as December last year, Yahoo admitted that all 3 billion of its user accounts had been hacked. Additionally, as a result of not reporting the extent of the attack until two years after it had taken place, Yahoo has now been fined £250,000 by the ICO. Part of the reason why the company was fined so heavily is because the email giant failed to monitor which of its’ employees had access to company data. One of the biggest ways cyber attackers infiltrate infrastructure is through unassuming employees opening phishing emails, or the wrong person gaining access to personal information. Ensuring you keep track of exactly which of your employees can see your data, and training your team to spot the signs of potential cyber security threats, will make sure your data is safely kept behind lock and key.
Marriott Hotels: Wide scale data loss disaster
One of the most wide ranging attacks to make recent news is the Marriott Hotels data disaster. Investigators found that as far back as 2014, hackers have been able to access the names, addresses, passport numbers and even the account information of 327 million guests. This cyber security threat is one of the first to be hit by GDPR enforcement too; as well as shares in the company dropping rapidly, the company could face huge fines as a result of not keeping their customers’ data safe. If you’d like to know more about the breach, we’ve looked into the effects of the Marriott Hotels data breach here.
Uber: The importance of declaring your data breach
Uber’s cyber security threat caused such a stir because the company failed to report it until a year after a data breach had taken hold of their infrastructure. Hackers stole the personal data of over 600,000 drivers in the United States, as well as the names, email addresses and phone numbers of 50 millions passengers. The scale of this attack was made even worse by the way Uber handled the cyber security threat; instead of informing their customers that their personal information might be at risk, the company paid off their hackers to try and make sure the data breach was kept behind closed doors.
Wannacry Ransomware: How cyber security threats infiltrated the NHS
This cyber security threat might be the one you’re most likely to recognise, thanks to the huge disruptions and chaos it caused for the NHS, along other prominent organisations like Renault and FedEx. Wannacry led to systems going down at hospitals all over the UK, cancelling thousands of appointments and rerouting ambulance services. This cyber security threat was found to have infiltrated the NHS as a result of outdated IT systems, eventually costing the NHS more than £90 million. What can we learn as a result of this wide scale data breach? Making sure your systems are protected with the latest updates, strong passwords and extensive back up and disaster recovery programs is key to avoiding data loss, ultimately making sure your business won’t fall foul of a significant data breach in the first place.
Interested in learning more about the kinds of cyber security threats your business could be at risk from? Here at CIS, we make sure you have the knowledge and the data security tools you need in place to protect your business’s reputation. Take a look at our security solutions to step up your security.
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The Honda HRV was recently launched in Pakistan. Customers were delighted to discover the specifications and features. Amid this, potential buyers in the Indian market were wondering when Honda’s hybrid SUV will launch in India.
When will the Honda HRV Hybrid SUV be launched in India?
According to sources, Honda’s hybrid SUVs will be launched in India before Diwali 2023. The hybrid SUVs will be preferred over the electric vehicles, also known as EVs by Honda. This came as an official update from Honda India President and CEO Takuya Tsumura.
Honda India will also launch an SUV in 2023 for the next festive season, especially Diwali. The cost of producing hybrids is lower and thus easier to produce, especially in Japan. Honda, a Japanese brand, has certainly looked up to this. He also added that it is not yet the right time for EVs. So until then, producing and selling hybrids is the best option for a brand like Honda.
In India, there is a lack of high-end SUV models. As a result, Honda’s market share is declining. The upcoming SUV vehicle would be a hybrid option. It will be manufactured at the Tapukara factory in Alwar, Rajasthan, India.
The brand has announced that it will be an India-focused SUV. Honda begins its factory operations and its meticulous pre-production procedures. Honda has a ‘Man maximum, machine minimum’ philosophy that it practices to the fullest. In particular, Honda’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing suggested that the future vehicle be designed with the different needs of its customers in mind.
What to expect from HRV Hybrid SUV?
These can be requirements in terms of mileage, space, technology or sustainability. He also added that the hybrid is a powertrain that has been tested with the iconic Honda City. However, the brand and the people who work for it will ensure that every possible option is evaluated with regard to the upcoming SUV.
The upcoming SUV will typically be made for the domestic market in India. However, Honda may consider exporting the vehicle in relation to its demand. However, that is still in the future. Only time will tell what happens next.
So far, Honda has had two cars that have built the strong pillars of the brand. These are both the Honda City and the Amaze. The upcoming vehicle is expected to be the third pillar of the brand and help it reach newer heights.
The brand hopes to recover and escalate its sales with the upcoming hybrid SUV. Honda stock prices have fallen in recent quarters. They are losing their share of the Passenger Car segment. The brand has indicated that it is willing to further explore the SUV market with hybrid variants.
While the car is still in the development phase, it will be further developed to make it one of India’s most sought-after car models. Since the target group is the Indian market, Honda is aiming high for this.
More performance-based models are expected to hit the Indian market soon. Honda is aware of the importance of Indian festivals and is not wary of them. Honda India has been around for a long time and has responded well to the Indian market.
That’s exactly why they might choose the pre-Diwali 2023 launch for the upcoming hybrid car. You have to understand whether Honda hopes to survive or create a new wave of car enthusiasts with its upcoming cars. Automotive experts will stay tuned for further updates on this car and other major brand cars in India.
In other news, Honda is also expected to launch its first fuel flex motorcycle in India in 2023.


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Countless prominent people in Trinidad and Tobago are worried about those illegally-obtained, SIA (Security Intelligence Agency) phone-tapped files which featured their private and sometimes racy conversations because they fear the files might end up on wikileaks, or worse, the local version called something like trinileaks. The spied-upon people are afraid that if their conversations were to hit the streets of Port of Spain, more bacchanal and scandals might break loose. Even if these files were destroyed by two unidentified Isreali men, there are spies walking freely amongst us who know some juicy secrets.
The website wikileaks is now an international celebrity and has won the hearts of hundreds of millions of fans by its ability make classified Government information available to the world. Wikileaks claims it is doing this to “help keep Governments open,” which is the biggest fear of any democratically elected and dictatorial Government as information in the public’s hands tends to make the Government’s grip on citizens slippery and weak. Governments like to claim they are transparent but like some underwear, never transparent enough to please the man in the street.
The Internet has created a nightmare for any government as the old method of feeding the public bullshit to keep them in check has lost its nutritional value and flavour. The US Government is now in a battle with wikileaks over leaked cables (correspondence), some of which have proven embarrassing to them. The US Government, being big, huge, powerful and secretive, has deemed the act of leaking these cables illegal all over the world and maybe the US can ask the International Criminal Court to prosecute the website. The US Government, not to be confused with US citizens, is not getting much support as citizens of the world would always choose a website over a Government in a streetfight any day. Governments have been putting pressure on web hosting companies that host wikileaks.org while Mastercard, VISA and Paypal have pulled their plug on wikileaks making the site less able to get donations from the public. Apparently the US Government has secretly tried and convicted wikileaks and secretly sent the court order to Mastercard, VISA and Paypal. Hackers have already attacked the mastercard website in retaliation and may focus their skills on other sites soon. The hactivist are calling this Operation Payback. Let the cyber war begin.
Knowing how free speech actually works, it will only be a matter of time before democratic Governments band together to censor the Internet to help keep the public from hurting itself with too much of the right information. Censorship is sometimes necessary especially when it comes to things such as what is actually in that tasty hot dog or knowing the sleeping habits of some people, but banning people from leaking government information via the internet or courier pigeon is simply wrong.
- WikiLeaks cyberwar: hackers target Paypal (telegraph.co.uk)
- WikiLeaks supporters hack MasterCard, Visa sites (sfgate.com)
- WikiLeaks’ hackers ‘Operation Payback’ cyber war on Visa, MasterCard and PayPal (dailymail.co.uk)
- PayPal cut Wikileaks on US letter (bbc.co.uk)
- MasterCard, Visa, Paypal and 4chan – The furor of Wikileaks unleashed (nakedsecurity.sophos.com)
- Want To Know Why Visa & Mastercard Cut Off Wikileaks? Because Its Latest Leak Was About Them… (techdirt.com)
- WikiLeaks’ hackers ‘Operation Payback’ cyber war targets Swedish Government (dailymail.co.uk)
- Protests, cyber-skirmishes rage over WikiLeaks (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- Army of hackers targets Sarah Palin, the Swedish government and credit card giants in WikiLeaks ‘Operation: Payback’ (dailymail.co.uk)
- MasterCard and Visa May Face Legal Battle Over WikiLeaks (dailyfinance.com)
- WikiLeaks cyberwar: hackers planning revenge attack on Amazon (telegraph.co.uk)
- WikiLeaks cables – now available on Amazon (newstatesman.com)
- PayPal: US Pressured WikiLeaks Account Freeze (webguild.org)
- Wikileaks will never die – it will just change webhost (akalol.wordpress.com)
- The war that maychange the world: WikiLeaks and the Internet versus all that is opaque (techvibes.com)
- Key Lawmakers Up Pressure on WikiLeaks and Defend Visa and Mastercard (wired.com)
- Has Wikileaks Begun a Cyberwar? (searchenginejournal.com)
- WikiLeaks Distances from Hackers – Somewhat (cbsnews.com)
- UPDATE 1-U.S. looking into hack attacks in wake of WikiLeaks (reuters.com)
- WRAPUP 4-WikiLeaks backers threaten more cyber attacks (reuters.com)
- WikiLeaks backers threaten more cyber attacks (thestar.com)
- WikiLeaks backers threaten more cyber attacks (theglobeandmail.com)
- WikiLeaks cyber war threatens online Christmas shopping chaos (mirror.co.uk)


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Asus announced that shipments of its Eee PC in the first half of 2008 were less than the company had orginally forecasted. 1.7 million Eee PCs were shipped, missing Asus predictions by some 300,000 units.
According to industry watchers, the shortfall was due to delayed shipments rather than waning demand. Both Intel Atom processor shortages and battery shortages due to a factory fire in March may both have played a contributing role.
Asus is still aiming to ship five million Eee PCs in 2008, hopefully suggesting that component shortages are behind the company now.


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One of the best ways to assume Apple features is the patents. Here are 10 amazing Apple Patents you might see in the near future.
Apple Company is bringing lots of astonishments through their products. Analysts and leakers have got the responsibility of making predictions for the future products. One of the most crucial ways to assume future apple products is the Amazing Apple Patents that the company has claimed for. But, it is important to remember that most of the patients have just become a paper due to failures and interruptions. Therefore assuming the next Apple features is a thing to do more carefully. Here are 10 amazing apple patents that can make it to the next level.
The Self Adjusting Apple Watch Strap
Apple has been planning on adding more things to the Apple watch. In last year, they added a specific feature to the Apple watch known as the sleep mode. Following the same moral, the company is planning to add an auto-adjusting Apple Watch as well. As one of the 10 Amazing Apple Patents You Might See in Future, this one consists of several details. Few stars, additional features, the background of the technology, and future extensions are included in this patent as well.
Sensors can do amazing things. When it comes to the sensors that directly applied on the harwadrwre, the accuracy and the perfection has to be the best elements.
More News have revealed that the wearing person can loosen or tighten the strap using the Apple Watch’s display. The time that the users had to expend for wearing the watch will be reduced with this feature. When considering other benefits, the possibility to have damaged skin hair, damages to the watch, and scratches on skin will be reduced. Although most of the major smart watch producing companies have tried different things, this is the first time a company owned a patent for a starip like feature.
The Wrap-Around Display Is one of the Amazing Apple Patents
Although Samsung smartphones have been able to create competition in the smartphone industry for the Apple, it is not a considerable one indeed. But, most of the people accept that Apple has inspired some basics and improved until a whole new level. The wraparound display is such a thing that the Apple is trying to take into the next level. There are already some Galaxy devices in the market with a curved display and an additional display. As an answer for these devices, Apple glass stepped into creating this kind of display.
According to Apple sources, the display allows the user to use two apps at the same time. It is supposed to come with a hardware acceleration that can facilitate such ability as well. Other than two apps, the device will enable the use of sharing media between another Apple devices due to the extended display size as well.
Special Sensors For The next Apple Car
Special sensors needed for the Autonomous driving was not a secret for the Apple fans. They were supposed to be the backbone of the Apple car due to the amazing technology. Although sensors can perform a unique duty, things may change when it comes to a mechanical device such as a car.
Apple car has started their work again. The company made the official announcement a few years back about the giving up. But, the latest reveals have stated that more than a hundred of employees have been assigned for the Apple car.
Apple Company has already obtained the patents related to Autonomous driving, necessary sensors, and obtaining signals. But, the things matter when getting the mechanical technology from the professionals. According to reliable news sources, the company has started talks about the technology with few car manufacturers. These companies include Hyundai, one of the best car producers in the world as well. The sharing of the patent and releasing its secrete elements will make the car a reality in the near future.
The Foldable iPhone
Following the path taken by Galaxy Fold and Huawei mate, Apple has taken few patents for their foldable design. The display, hardware combination, battery, and the outer cover kike features of a typical phone need the adjustments. It seems the Apple Company has already found the solutions for them. Open like a book, rolling device, and a features switchable device are some of the designs made by the Apple Company.
Apple has passed almost a decade finding the hardware solution for the obtained patent. The patent explains how the foldable phone’s hardware is prepared. Since they have gone through a wrap up display already, Apple has got the necessary background from the beginning. There are few sketches that have been shared by Apple fans. Also, some of them appear to have been published by Apple employees as well. They suggest of a phone that require less space a typical iPhone requires. It is important to remember that the modern iPhone comes with several versions and the space requirement has been an issue.
AR And VR Glasses
Augmented reality and the Virtual Reality are supposed to be the next big things in the human history. Although it has passed several years since its arrival, from 2016, Apple Company hasn’t still revealed anything. In 2016 Apple started competing for a patent related to AR and they could achieve it as well. But, later on, they used to try for another patent which included specific scope related VR. It is said that the wearing person has the ability to control the AR and VR atmosphere using moving gestures.
More news state that Apple is planning to include these features in a Future Apple iPhone. It will be able to create a virtual atmosphere around the user with the aid of the sensors. Although the technology is prepared, the company has not revealed any detail about the future. Analysts have predicted that the AR and VR patents will surely make it to the next level. According to them, they will be available for both Apple iPhone and the Apple VR glass which is also in queue to be invented.
A MacBook Energized by iPhone
Like it was mentioned earlier, Samsung is a company that being inspired by the Apple company. One of the revealed amazing Apple Patents has focused the technology similar to the Samsung Dex, the computer powered by a phone. Although thoughts are quite simple for Samsung, Apple Company has taken it to the next stage. The patent includes the functioning and the basic intentions of the phone as well. According to the news sources, Apple Company is trying to put a whole in MacBook where they intend to put the iPhone.
The exact location for the iPhone is the mouse pad. After fitting the phone in the macBooks’ gap, the MacBook will use the iPhone’s data. Although syncing is a thing that ha originated from Apple, the speed is the crucial factor for sharing data in an unlimited speed. When it comes to the iPhone dipped in the MacBook, the user is allowed to use the hardware acceleration consisted of both devices. To do that, it is compulsory to build a stable connection between both devices. It supposes that the Apple has found a way to communicate with both devices in an unlimited speed.
Stopping the Filing or Photography Patent IS Not Among Amazing Apple Patents
This will be the most hated patent among 10 Amazing Apple Patents you might see In Future. Because what it explains is restricting capturing images and recording videos. You might remember how strict Steve Jobs was on the recordings. Sometimes, he repeatedly mentioned others to stop filing him in public events. Although the origin is not clear for this patent, it has been handed over for the patent granting in 2018. However, if they make it to the next level, public events will not be reaching the fans who stand in the other corners of the world. Also, the leaks and rumors will not reach to fans like they did.
According to the theories, the Apple Company is planning to control both the infrared and the normal light at the same time. The end result will be a camera without the ability to capture images or videos. Furthermore, leaks have revealed the patent’s technology is about to be applied in the real-life as a wrist band. If there is a person in the room, others will not capture any video or an image.
When it comes to the official photography, the device will come up with a specific frequency which is known by the photographer. After knowing the relevant frequency, the particular man will be able to use an anti-frequency device to deactivate the band that prevents filming.
Sensors to detect poisonous gases
Sensors are crucial for the Apple Company for facilitating abroad service. One of the 10 Amazing Apple Patents state of a patent that includes sensors with the ability to identify poisonous gases. Since several modifications have been added for the Apple Watch, there is almost nothing new to be introduced. The best example is about the auto-adjusting strap. According to the latest patent discovery, the sensors are capable of identifying different gases. It means, the devices with the relevant sensors will be able to alert people in emergency situations.
According to trusted sources, the sensors are coming with the ability to detect metal-oxide (MOX). It means the sensors can detect situations with carbon monoxide. In case of a fire, a likeness of oxygen, and a room filled with harmful gases, the user will be alerted using these sensors. Although Apple is first targeting the Apple Watch and iPhone, their plans include the future products as well. A home seeker is one of the devices that can use these sensors more effectively when warning the members of the home.
Smart Clothing Patent
One of the amazing Apple Patents has been published by the Apple company that can sense vital signs of the human body. Following the same theory, the user will be able to measure his blood pressure, pulse rate, and respiratory rate. However, the clothing has been prepared as a glove that can detect the signs of the human body. It means that there cannot be any relationship between the Apple Watch and the Smart clothed Glove. Some analysts have stated that this patent will be able to get the position of the Apple Smart Watch’s strap as well.
The Smart clothing contains some sensors that can grab the details of the wearing person’s vital signs. After taking the readings, they will be sent to any of the Apple devices with what the user is interacting. When it comes to the rareness of the patent’s findings, the size is the matter as a clothe can not bear such sensors. Even if the clothing could bear, small veins will not be grabbed by them. However, Apple has achieved it.
3D Holograms Is One of The Amazing Apple Patents
Have you ever thought about the 3D Holograming? Making birds flying around few people is an impossible thing to do as there is no such thing called magic. When it comes to the latest patents obtained by Apple company, they are about to make a big difference for sure. In 2014, Apple steeped in to create a system where 3D objects can be created. After several failures, they could bring the reality to a place where a device can create 3D objects. Although the mind drawing picture is something that describes a huge device, it is not.
The hardware requirement for the obtained patent is in a shape of an iPad. The holder can play objects using a touch screen. Some leaks of this amazing Apple Patents suggest that the device is going to use a special laser to create the objects. Also, the same laser will include all the colors that need to create objects. Different types of sensors, mirrors, and controls will be used to implement the 3D hologramming device. Although the Apple company keeps the silence, the next big thing will be something that comes as a combination of AR & VR and the 3D hologramming machine as well.
Remarks About Amazing Apple Patents
The mentioned 10 Amazing Apple Patents are neither rumors nor leaks. All of them are real patents that have been revealed by the analysts. But, when it comes to the devices that have explained in the article, they are based on both imagination and the assumptions. Therefore, it is not sure whether they may come as the same device or as a different product.
Although they will never come into the market, there is nothing the fans can do. When considering the recent past of the Apple, they have left several patents assuming not useful as well. Although they send the mentioned patents in products or not, more things will take place for sure as that is what Apple has been doing.